The Thin Line
by Karei Princess Keia
Summary: The prolouge to an epic that Karei and Princess Mimi, two of your favorite digimon authors ::audience laughs:: ^.^() anywho, an epic that we will try to cowrite ^.^
1. Default Chapter Title

#### The Thin Line Between Truth and Trust

###### _Prolouge_

###### [by karei and princess mimi][1]

  
Water had trickled down his face as he struggled to climb to the top of the tower; the rain had matted his hair down and soaked his clothes thoroughly. Were it not for the ferocious determination in his ocean blue eyes, he would look quite like a wet cat. He kept his body close to the sheer metal that composed the frame of this forty-foot tower; at the top lay his ultimate challenge.  
  
His hand finally met horizontal surface, and he propelled himself onto the roof; as he caught his breath, a shadow fell over him. He looked up to see that familiar silhouette; although weighed down by water, it's owner was unforgettable, a very unfortunate thing for him. The shadow's voice had an utterly cool edge to it:  
  
"Hello, Matt."   
  
The warm blue oceans in Matt's eyes had frozen over in an icy glare as he spoke:  
  
"Hello, Tai."   
  
"Why did you come here?"  
  
"I think it should be rather obvious, even for a thick-headed lout like yourself," Matt smiled. "I'm here to stop you."  
  
"I believe it's already too late for you to stop anything." Lightning crashed dangerously close to them, illuminating their faces for a brief moment; Tai's face was calm, with a knowing look of victory spread across it, while Matt's face resembled the eye of a hurricane, eerily tranquil and just about to begin storming.  
  
The thunder that followed was deafening.  
  
"I can't stop it from happening, that's true. But I can stop you from succeeding."  
  
"Why would you stop me? He was totally right; we saved this miserable place and almost died, for nothing. Worthless ingrates." He spat the words out bitterly, looking out over the city lights.  
  
"I have to stop you; I feel a certain camaraderie for these 'worthless ingrates'. It takes courage to care about those who don't deserve it."   
  
The word made Tai flinch. 'Courage,' he mused. 'What does he know about courage?'  
  
"Either way, you're too late," he laughed.  
  
"Never." Matt shot past Tai, pushing him down onto the roof; his goal was to reach the lightning rod first. The rod which was the key to this whole mess; if only he could...  
  
Tai reached out, catching Matt's ankle with his hand; which then sent him sprawling. Tai quickly scrambled up, making a break for the lightning rod. "I know your plan, Ishida! It won't work!"   
  
As he spoke, Matt suddenly tackled him. The two men fell hard onto the ground as lightning cracked overhead once more. The wind picked up, flinging the rain at them like bullets. Matt flipped Tai over, punching him in the face; Tai countered by elbowing Matt in the stomach. The two men clawed at each other, two wet felines ferociously fighting forty flights high. Lightning sparked once more, the static crawling across the clouds like spiders; energy was collecting over the tower. Matt looked up and saw that the moment was coming. He couldn't let Tai make it.   
  
In a surprising show of strength, Matt leapt from the fight and sprinted towards the rod. As his hand met it, the lightning crackled overhead, and the dagger of electricity plunged down, striking Matt.   
  
The force of the shock electrified the whole tower and sent Tai flying off the edge. Mere seconds later, the energy had passed, and he clutched the tower with all his might. He struggled to make it to the top, but he knew it was too late, as the clouds had already begun to disperse; small patches of starlight came through. When he made it back to the roof, he found himself alone.  
  
He stared up at the stars, the fury building up in him; his shoulders trembled in rage as he realized what had happened. "You've won this round, Ishida," he growled, "but I promise you, the next time we meet, I'll kill you." Frustrated, Tai began his descent.  
  
_~ End Prolouge ~_  
  
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	2. Chapter 2

#### The Thin Line Between Truth and Trust

###### _Part 1_

###### [by karei and princess mimi][1]

  
:: all other parts open on a new page ::  
:: [Prolouge][2]  
  
  
It was a cold, dismal morning, and on the windowpanes water droplets still gleamed in the pale light.  
  
The young woman was at first seated on her bed in the still darkness, hugging her knees to her chest, as many thoughts swam through her mind, before finally getting up and going to the window.  
  
It wasn't much better, for already she could see that the morning was a bleak one. But nonetheless, she now stood at the window, with the shades pulled back, as the motel was a rather dreary place, it hardly looked better even in this light.  
  
It didn't matter. She would move soon, anyway. Already she'd been there for about 3 days; perhaps that was too much time. Especially here of all places, where she was known…  
  
_'I don't know how much more of this I can take.'_ She thought as she sighed deeply, her hazel eyes traveling along the deserted streets - it was only 8:00, but she had been up since 5:30.  
  
"A year." She shook her head as she felt herself sigh again; this sighing, she did it much too often, perhaps it was more of a pitiful sound, even though it was forlorn, and wrought with great sadness, as one would suppose.  
  
That one-year spent either hiding or running, mostly. _'And there's nothing I can do about it either.'_ She added miserably. But she must accept the way her life turned.  
  
She had taken her mind off the window for a moment, when she noticed a lone figure approaching the motel - that was all. But it was enough. Her eyes widened and her breath hitched in her throat.  
  
_'He's found me again.'_  
  
The last time he had found her - almost caught her - was a few weeks ago, and that was in another part of the world - America. _'I've been here too long already. Somehow he must have gotten a clue that I would be here.'_  
  
Her heart thumped wildly in her chest as she turned away from the window with both of her hands on her chest, holding it so as it wouldn't escape.  
  
Escape. There was an old, rickety fire escape outside one of the windows. But it was probably not even used any more. By the looks of it, it was pretty shabby, and probably would break.  
  
_'If I don't do it, he'll get me anyway. He's inside now. Surely he's at the desk, questioning them. Can't go out that way. And no use hiding.'_  
  
It was now or never. She pulled up the window and the last remnants of that nights rain had dripped down; and there was just enough room for her to step out.  
  
  
Barely had her feet touched the landing that it already began to shake. She felt all the blood leave her face for a moment, and feared she would faint. But she made it to the next landing with no difficulty.  
  
Her room had been on the fourth floor. She was on the third now.  
  
_Rattle, Rattle._  
  
The stairs shook again. Halfway between the third floor and second.  
  
_Rattle._ She made it to the second story landing.  
  
_  
'Once he sees I'm gone, he'll hurry out here.'_ She thought. She reached the first floor landing. _'Almost there-'_  
  
_CLANG!_  
  
She cringed - the last ladder dropped down suddenly - so suddenly. She could barely catch her breath again when she saw him, coming out of the motel entrance, with a small smirk on his face.  
  
She took off running, down the block.  
  
  
The street was deserted.  
  
_'Or was I seeing things… no there definitely was someone there…looking for me.'_  
  
Her disastrous choices that she made after she first left Japan came haunting her. She shook the thoughts away as she quickened her pace, hoping only that her heels wouldn't break at the wrong moment.  
  
_'Heels… idiot!'_ She scolded herself mentally.  
  
Someone was following her, haunting her footsteps from out of the shadows, feet rustling slowly on the sidewalk; but the steps slowed, and they stopped, and retreated. She didn't notice.  
  
_'I hate running…but I can't stop now. I'll fight if I have to.'_ She thought. But she didn't have time to act on any of those thoughts when suddently, a hand grabbed hers.  
  
"Follow me," he said.  
  
There was something about his voice that provoked trust, even hope, so she didn't question him. She only caught a quick glimpse at his face.  
  
She had continued following him until he turned a corner. "In here," he said. "We'll be safe here. Don't mind the place, no one lives here."  
  
The woman stepped in stepped in. "Wait-"  
  
"Not yet." He gave a quick nod with his head pointing up. "Upstairs. Then we can talk." He pulled down a ladder and began climbing it.  
  
_'Oh dear God not another ladder.'_ She thought, then shrugged and then followed him. As soon as she was up he raised the ladder and closed the trap door. Sighing she collapsed onto a chair. "Thanks."  
  
"No problem," the boy answered. Then Mimi could tell that he wasn't a boy at all - but a young man. And yet he appeared very familiar. _'Oh my God, can it be-'_  
  
The young man seemed able to read her thoughts. "Don't worry, Mimi. You're safe with me."  
  
"I'm not… worried…" she said, a questioning edge to her voice. _'He knows me...so it must be true.'_ The panicked thought shot through her mind.  
  
"You haven't changed much. You're still beautiful, like I remember you."  
  
"Thanks." She answered. She studied his face. _'He has a striking resemblance to Matt… but I know it isn't so…'_  
  
"Matt." She murmured aloud, accidentally.  
  
He shook his head, sadly.  
  
"I just meant you look so much like him." She apologized quickly. "Good heavens, Takeru, it's been a long time since I've laid eyes on you."  
  
He nodded. "Yes."  
  
"You are handsome, Takeru, just like him." She replied, her voice trailing off.  
  
He blushed, slightly. "Some people choose to call me 'Angel' now. An affectionate term I suppose, though I'd daresay it fits you better. Listen." He said, and leaned in towards her, and with voice barely above a whisper, "I know, Mimi. About them. And how you've been running, hoping to escape from their webs."  
  
"You mean - you know?"  
  
"I've been watching after you. Matt asked me to, before..." his voice trailed off. He longed to be able to finish that sentance someday, but even he did not know all the circumstances surrounding his brother's dissapearance.  
  
He stopped suddenly, and to Mimi it seemed as if a great weight were upon him. But her tongue was already brimming with more questions, and she couldn't stop them in time.  
  
"What happened to him?"  
  
"I can't say, not right now anyway. But we are going to have a meeting tonight, and I think you should come too. You might be in for a few surprises."  
  
"Who's 'we'?"  
  
"You'll find out in time. More people you know were involved than you think." He said knowingly.  
  
Mimi looked down. Takeru took her hand gently into his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You may be more involved than any of us."  
  
Tears came to Mimi's eyes; her voice became strained: "It wasn't my fault TK… they tricked me…and I just had to come back…to escape but…I have to look over my shoulder all the time…because he is after me, you know."  
  
Takeru nodded. "So you decided to come back here because you figured that you would be safe in the town of your birth."  
  
"But it's as bad as every other place; his spies are…everywhere.. I can't escape…"  
  
Takeru nodded knowingly. "Just be careful in whom you invest your trust."  
  
"Maybe I'm just paranoid."  
  
"No, you aren't."  
  
There was a brief pause. Her eyes slowly traveled around the room and once again landed on his face. "Tell me about Yamato. Please, I need to know what happened to him. He left me so suddenly, and told me where to go and such. And now he sent you to watch over me. Please, Takeru."  
  
Takeru hesitated, as if in thought. "I'm not sure, exactly...but I think it's safe to say that 'they' were on to him… and may have gotten to him."  
  
  
"What do you mean?" She gasped. "You don't mean they..?"  
  
_'Where I'm going, Mimi - you can't follow. I'm sorry.'_ His last words to her came back in a flash, and fresh tears melted out of her eyes, dragging down her face.  
  
"I don't know where he is, Mimi. And believe me, I've looked everywhere." He started, but then stopped suddenly. "I've said too much." He glanced around the room once more. "You should be safe here, just don't leave. I'll be back for you when I can."  
  
Mimi watched as Takeru lifted up the trap door, and climbed down the ladder, leaving her alone. That had lately become an all-too-familiar feeling for her. Her eyes swept through her surroundings; the room was mostly dark, in a state of twilight; the only source of light at the moment were small rays of sunshine peeking through spaces between the boards that blocked the windows. Mimi found a small chord suspended by a bare bulb that dangled from the ceiling; upon turning it on, she nearly shrieked.  
  
Some small insects fled from the light, and a bristly rat scurried into a corner, dropping into a hole; she had been in worse before, but she was always prepared for it; this time, the destitute that surrounded her took her by surprise. She found a semi-clean place on the floor near a small, 9-inch television sitting in a corner; she turned on the television, trying to tune out from reality.  
  
"...other news, astrologers have an astonishing sight for you coming up! All the planets in our solar system are going to align in exactly three days. Mark your calendar, folks..."  
  
Her mind wandered away from the stellar calculations and to the past few months; it seemed like her business was just beginning to become known. Everybody said Mimi would be a fashion designer, and lo and behold, she was. But that still didn't stop them. _'And now they're after me. Ever since Matt left, they've been after me,'_ she thought; she sighed once more.  
  
_'Even Takeru doesn't know.'_ She thought sadly, and her shoulders sagged, and she found herself feeling very exhausted, and soon her senses were overwhelmed. She thought naught of the floor, or how dirty it must have been, and closed her eyes, letting sleep take over.  
  
_~ End Part 1 ~_  
  
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   [1]: mailto:karei_mimi
   [2]: http://www.fanfiction.net/master.cfm?action=story-read&storyid=50462



	3. Chapter 3

__

A/N: sorry this took so long! Well, not like there's a huge reader base for this story, but thank you SOOO much to those of you who are reading. It's not that we don't have the ideas, it's just that we can get a bit too complicated for out own good! ~.^ (And by this we mean look at our 'fics'… Mastermind and Precious Bitter Tears… and those are individually done ^.~ Okay… shutting up now… please read on! And review 

The Thin Line Between Truth and Trust 

Part 2

by [Karei][1] and [Princess Mimi][2]

A day had passed and a night had fallen since Mimi's close encounter, and she was still curled up on the floor; the power had gone off, and so had the television and the light. She hadn't slept well for over a year, since Matt's disappearance, and yet, in that dank hellhole, she felt safe for the first time in an eternity. She moved in her sleep, uttering a soft moan, and fell deeper into sleep.

The ladder made a creaking noise as he carefully climbed up it once again; the trap door opened softly, and a small speck of light emerged from it, a candle; Takeru followed closely behind. He wiped the sweat off of his brow as he climbed into the abandoned room; it was late, and the time of the meeting was drawing near.

"Mimi?" He called. She wasn't where he had last seen her.

He walked over to the smaller room, hoping that Mimi was still there; he sighed in relief when he saw her sleeping figure in the candlelight. He walked over to her and knelt besides her, setting the candle down. She looked so peaceful as she lay there, hopefully in a dreamless sleep, which wouldn't be too disturbing to wake up from. And he knew he had to wake her, even though he didn't want to disturb her.

The yellow light reflected off of her honey-colored hair, the strands dancing in the flickering candlelight. He longed to reach out and touch her hair, to breathe its fragrance and hold her close to him; he always had. Only, his brother loved her, but was too macho to say it, so Takeru had to leave her alone; to see her every day at school, watch how she and Matt developed their friendship, her beautiful eyes brightening with joy when he told a joke. She was so happy then; they all were.

"Mimi…" he said softly, and he, giving in to the temptation, stretched his hand out and touched carefully the soft tendrils of her hair, stroking it softly, and she didn't seem fazed by it. She was alone now, and he was the one who was there, to watch over her.

She began to moan in her sleep, as if she were in pain, or perhaps having a nightmare. "Please don't leave me…" 

"I love you, Mimi," he whispered to the air, his sleeping love and a burning flame. "I could never tell you; why didn't I?" He sighed sadly, and felt an ache in his heart. "Because I was afraid. I could survive on the meager hope that perhaps you could love me, if nothing more than the fact that I resemble Matt." Her skin looked so soft in the candlelight, her lips so tender; he longed to kiss them, he yearned to have her as his, to have her and hold her, till fate do them part.

He shook his head in frustration with himself. "Takeru, you're kidding yourself. How could you even think that she could love you? You came here to wake her up and take her to the meeting, and that's all you're going to do." Carefully Takeru lifted her up, so that he was cradling her in his arms. His eyes fell on her once more; "They should call you Angel," and before he could think he was leaning in to kiss her.

Mimi's eyes fluttered open softly, and she found herself staring into the most familiar, cooling blueness: "Matt? You've come back for me…" she whispered.

Takeru was startled. _'Idiot!'_ he scolded himself mentally. _'She could never want you. It's always about him.'_

But then he realized that she was still somewhat dreaming. Mimi was still swimming in the sea of his blue eyes, until hers slowly came into focus, and she realized her mistake. "Takeru... I'm... I'm sorry…" She said slowly.

"It's okay, Mimi. I'm just glad you're awake now." Carefully he set her back on her feet. "We should be going now, or else we'll be late."

Sora rolled up the windows in her car as she sped on the freeway; "Perhaps going ninety isn't such a good idea," she muttered to herself. She then looked at the clock. "Screw it, I'm late as it is." She reached over and turned on the radio. A smile spread over her face as she heard the opening chords to a great song; she sang along, as off-key as she was.

"It's my life! And it's now or never! Hey, I ain't gonna live forever! I just wanna live while I'm alive! It's my life! My heart is like an open highway! Like Frankie said I did it my way! I just wanna live while I'm alive! 'Cause it's my LIFE!"

As the song ended, she began flipping through stations, hoping to find another good song. She stopped when something on the radio caught her ear.

".. so be looking up at the sky in just a few days. It'll be a sight to see... Excuse me... Ladies and Gentlemen, I've just received breaking news; it seems that the Japanese National Police have made another crack in the case concerning the Heroin Madam. They have found that it is someone... in Odaiba?! Please be on the lookout for any suspicious activity you may see. If you hear anything, please be sure to contact the police station. They are offering 10,000,000 yen for the divulgence of her..."

"Shit," she whispered - half in awe, half in panic -, as she reached over and flicked off the radio. "That's a lot of money." She slammed on the gas and sped off.

Koushiro looked at his watch and whispered, "Shoot... I'm going to be late." He stared at the screen, watching the disk process in what seemed to take an eternity. "Come on..." he whispered. "Come ONNN..." He really needed to complain to his boss about getting a faster modem; they were STILL on dialup. He swung his feet like an impatient five-year-old, his eyes flashing at the clock every two seconds.

Finally, the computer finished uploading and spat out the disk. He snatched it up, not even bothering to properly shut down his computer; instead, he flicked it off, snagged his laptop, and sprinted for the door, slamming it shut behind him.

Koushiro exploded out of the building like a kid on the last day of school, running at breakneck speeds to his car. He spotted his boss, skidded to a stop, and walked nonchalantly by. "Hello, sir." The gruff and not-so-personable Mr. Takagawa nodded back at him with a slight smile. As soon as his boss's back was to him, Koushiro began running again, finally making it to his black SUV; he dove in, thought naught of the radio, and sped out of the parking lot.

He smiled, feeling quite like the white rabbit. "I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date! No time to stay! No, no! Goodbye! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!"

Joe sat on a dusty box next to a dingy couch; he refused to sit on the couch, fearing what he may find still living in it. He tapped the sides of the box in the beat to a song that was stuck in his head. "Boom boom boom boom.. I want you in my room.."

A voice giggled. "Is that an invitation?"

Joe jumped up, startled; he squinted into the dim corner where the door was. "Kari?"

Kari walked in, with a soft smile on her face. "Hey, Joe. Your head is so easy to mess with sometimes."

Joe sat back down on his box, using his foot to slide one over to Kari. "Yea well, with the situation as it is, I'm a bit jumpy."

Kari smiled, saying with a tone that hinted heavily of teasing, "You? Jumpy? Nah..."

"So, you know where Angel is?"

She walked over to the box, taking a seat; "Nope, but I heard he found somebody else to join the fight."

Joe raised his eyebrow, "Oh really? A newbie? Well, _this_ should get interesting."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning there's too many as it is. What with us, Koushiro, Sora, and Angel, one other may complicate things. You remember what happened _before_?"

Kari nodded. "How could I forget? Angel was devastated; I still think he's bitter about it, driving him to fight all the harder."

Joe looked out the window. "They say that you should beware of those who have lost everything; they have nothing left to loose."

"He hasn't lost everything. Angel will always have hope, even when nobody else can."

"Too true." Joe chewed on his tongue, deep in thought. He didn't have time to speak again, because somebody else came through the door.

"Hey guys. I'm not late, am I?"

"Hey, Sora," Kari smiled. "Nope, nothing's happened. Koushiro and Angel still have yet to arrive."

Sora walked over to them and watched as Joe slid another box over for her. "Thanks," she muttered, taking the seat; her face read of distraught, and she dug into her pockets, taking out some smokes.

"What's up, Sora?"

She sighed, placing a cigarette in her mouth. "I don't know if you've heard; do you listen to the radio a lot, Joe?" He shook his head. "Figured you wouldn't." She fumbled with her lighter, trying to get it to ignite. Finally it does, and she lights her cigarette. Taking a deep breath of smoke, she removes it and continues speaking. "Anyway, they're catching up to me."

Kari's eyes went wide. "He didn't..."

Sora looked up at her sharply. "You think he wouldn't? You know Tai better than any of us. Or at least we thought you did." Her last words seemed to sting, as Kari hung her head. "Kari... I'm sorry. It's just that this whole situation has me frustrated. First we loose Tai, then Matt disappears, and God knows what *he's* got planned next, and now with this police thing..." She took a long drag from her cigarette.

Kari nodded, "I understand. I think this has us all on edge." She looked down at her watch. "Where are Koushiro and Angel? They should be here any--" She got cut off, hearing two cars pull up at the same time. 

Sora's stomach fell. "Two cars? There's never two of us at the same time. We made sure of that. How are there two cars?" Her voice became drenched with panic. "How are there two cars?"

"Relax," Joe said. "I'm sure it's nothing. And even if it is, what could they prove?"

Her fears were soon assuaged as they saw Koushiro, Mimi, and Takeru enter the room. "Hey, Koushiro. Hey, Angel. Glad you two could make it," Kari said coyly. "Who's the newbie?"

Takeru moved out of the way, "All of you remember Mimi, right?"

Koushiro sighed inwardly, thinking 'How could anybody forget?'

Sora choked on her smoke, trying to get a deep breath in. "You brought HER into this?! Are you an idiot or something, Angel?!"

Takeru shook his head. "I didn't bring her into this; Tai did."

"That bastard," Koushiro breathed.

"At any rate, she's been in this almost as long as I have, but Matt did everything to keep us apart and out of it."

"Yea, and we all know how *that* worked out," Sora muttered bitterly. Everyone shot a look at her, and she shrank. "Sorry..."

"Sora, I heard what happened." Takeru's voice went from concerned to stern, "You've really got to stop that business."

"But how will I survive? You think a stupid little flower shop that my mother gave me will keep me in clothes forever?"

"No, but buying masses of poppyseeds won't go unnoticed. Especially with the police's eye on Odaiba."

"Damn him," she grumbled, taking another drag.

"Um, guys?" Mimi interjected. "I don't want to be in this any more than you want me in this, okay? But I'm here, so deal with it."

Everybody was shocked. She was certainly different - VERY different. They remembered Mimi as being soft and gentle; true, she could be strong about her opinions at rare occasions, but nothing this hard-faced and determined. They all simply nodded.

"Um... Angel?" Kari asked. "What's our status?"

Angel motioned for Mimi and Koshiro to follow him; Koushiro took his laptop out and began booting it up. Joe set up four more boxes, one for each newcomer, and one for the laptop. Koushiro, set the laptop down and took a seat, sliding his disk in. They watched as he loaded it.

"Okay, guys, you remember that text we got from the digiworld two weeks ago?" Koushiro asked. They all nodded in acknowledgement. "All right, well, I haven't been able to crack much. It seems that as our world's system of computers has become more complex, with new languages and new forms of encryption, this message is just a garble of code. But I've been able to get some of it." He began typing, seemingly immersed in the program.

Sora pulled the cigarette away from her mouth, with an air of disdain floating in the smoke. "Yea, so what'd you find?"

Koushiro pulled his face up for a brief moment. "You know the planetary alignment coming up? Supposedly that has the power to open the digiworld once more. And when I say open, I don't mean a tiny hole in the sky, or even rips in space. I mean, you could be walking on earth one moment, and the digiworld the next."

Takeru stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Tai may be smart, but he's not that smart. How could he have figured that one out?"

Koushiro shook his head. "I have no clue. However, we're lucky in that we know he can't open the portal."

"How do we know that?" Mimi asked.

"Well, duh," Sora replied irritatedly. "He's after Koushiro here. Without him, Tai can't get that portal open."

"So the name of the game is keepaway, huh?" Kari asked.

"Exactly," Takeru replied.

"So I guess all we have to do is keep Koushiro safe for the next few days and we're in the clear," Joe said, smiling.

"Not necessarily," Takeru replied. "You see, the planetary alignment makes it possible to create a massive tear that will combine both realities and yet keep them eerily distinct. That'll make things easy for Tai to take control of."

"Have we even figured out why he's doing this yet?" Kari asked. Takeru shook his head.

Joe shrugged, saying in a ponderous tone, "Power? I mean, he's had a pretty dull life."

Sora blew a smoke ring. "Yea, but what would make him want to do this? He's always been a really nice guy..." She trailed off, looking down at the floor.

"We all know it's hard for you, Sora," Takeru consoled. "It's hard for all of us. I trusted him like he was my brother."

"Yea, well, at least he *wasn't* your brother," Kari noted, quite bitterly. Takeru reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, a weak smile on her face. "Thanks, Angel."

He smiled back. "Anytime." His face returned to the monitor. "But back to the point guys. Despite the fact that he won't be able to create such a drastic tear doesn't mean he can't do it at all."

"That's right," Koushiro added. "That's what Matt was trying to stop."

"Is that how he disappeared?" Mimi asked.

"How, we don't know," Joe answered. "But that was when we last saw him."

Mimi paused, lost in thought. "Maybe... maybe he went to the digiworld..."

Koushiro shook his head. "That's impossible."

Joe scratched his head. "Is it? I mean, what if it did work, and Tai got his connection, but Matt's the one who got through?"

"You have a point there," Kari said.

Takeru's voice bitterly sliced their words. "We shouldn't be grasping at straws, people. Matt's gone, and we have to move on. So drop it." That silenced them. "Good."

They all looked around at each other, the moment feeling a bit awkward. Sora looked down at her watch. "Geez, look at the time! I've gotta get going!"

Takeru looked down at the time. "Yea, I suppose it's time we broke. All our cars out there for too long may draw some attention. Sora, you first, then Joe, then Kari, then Koushiro, and Mimi and I will be last off."

"Thanks! Bye, guys!" Sora stamped out her cigarette and headed for the door.

Mimi huffed as she watched Sora run off, "You'd think someone with a habit like that would be nicer when smoking."

A few minutes later, Joe left, and was followed shortly by Hikari. Takeru was working on making it look like nobody had been in the building at all, leaving Mimi and Koushiro to talk. "You know, Mimi, you look really different from the last time I saw you. I'm not talking in the food court, but five years ago."

"Yea... that was basically the last time I saw any of you, except for Tai."

"Speaking of which, how _did_ he dupe you into this."

"You know I have a fashion company, right? Well, we had a rocky start, and he said he'd help me with sales. Well, he did, but little did I know that he was using my worldwide mailing abilities to smuggle."

"Smuggle what?"

She sighed. "Sometimes it was drugs, sometimes it was rare objects, but mostly, it was electronic equipment."

"Equipment?" His interest became piqued. "When was this?"

Mimi thought back. "About three.. no.. four years ago, I'd say."

He whistled softly under his breath. "He started REALLY early."

Takeru walked over to them. "Sorry to break this up guys, but I suggest you get home, Koushiro, it's getting late."

He eased himself up off the ground, looking out the window; the sky was thick with clouds, about to storm. "I suppose you're right. Bye, Mimi. Bye, Angel. I'll be seeing you when I do."

"Bye Kousihro," Takeru replied. "And watch your back."

Mimi watched him leave; as soon as Koushiro was out the door, she looked up at Takeru. He slowly sat down next to her. "So," she began, "how is everybody else in this mess?"

"Well," Takeru sighed, "Sora and Kari both just trusted somebody they loved. Sora fights because she's got nothing left to loose. Once her heroin trade goes out, she'll be lost. At least she'll get her kicks in while she can."

"And Kari?"

Takeru shrugged. "She's the child of light, why else?"

Mimi nodded. "Good point. And I've gathered that Izzy has no choice in his role."

"Nope. It's either he fights back, helps Tai, or dies. Not much of a choice."

"I guess not. But what about Joe? He's got no reason... None that I can see, at any rate."

"I've never really questioned Joe. Matt always trusted him, and it seems he's been a part of this for as long as I can remember. He knows more about this than anyone, except maybe Matt."

"Then how'd you become leader?"

"Luck? Joe disappeared awhile back, about two months after Matt, but he came back; in his absence, I took charge. I guess it followed."

"Takeru? One more question, and I'll quit pestering you, okay?"

He smiled, "You could never pester me."

Mimi blushed. "That's sweet. You're so much like your brother, it's frightening," she smiled. "But I wonder where your name came from. Why does everybody call you 'Angel'?"

"It started about a year ago. I should have died that night, but I didn't."

"What happened?"

"Tai was trying to kill me. He attacked me, and Kari as well. I don't remember much, but he had a gun, and was aiming for me. He pulled the trigger, but..."

Mimi was waiting. "But...?"

He smiled at her. "But it's really time we got going."

~ End Part 2 ~

   [1]: mailto:princesskarei@aol.com
   [2]: mailto:sapphiregirl124@hotmail.com



	4. Chapter 4

The Thin Line Between Truth and Trust

By: Karei and Princess Mimi

Part 3

She gripped the light jacket that Takeru had given her tightly around her light frame, standing firmly against the chilling breeze that seemed to blow right through her soul. Takeru had given her a nice, corner motel to sleep in for the night - nothing fancy, but it was better than that dank floor that held her previous rest. However, she wanted nothing more than to go out for one night, even if it was to do nothing; despite its danger, she could not stand begin cooped up any longer. Another gust blew past her, brushing a lock of hair against her cold-rosied cheek.

"Look, Tai, enough is enough."

Mimi's stomach dropped.

"Don't tell me you're quitting?" she heard him ask mockingly.

"Of course I'm not quitting." That voice was so... familiar... "I can't leave the cause, not when I'm in this deep."

"Love has a tricky way of doing that to you, dear sister."

__

'Oh my God,' she thought, her face falling further with each mental syllable. _'It's… Kari!'_

"Yes, it is love. You're damned right I love him. I couldn't betray him, not by joining you."

Mimi walked over to the alley where she heard the voices coming from; for the first time, she wasn't panicked to hear Tai's voice, but she was still cautious: who knew what they were discussing. She crouched silently behind a box, taking a peak around the corner.

"But we'd make such a great team, you and I. Do you remember how it was in the past?" Tai put a hand on his sister's shoulder, as if by the touch he could invoke her memories.

Kari lowered her head with a tired sigh. "Look, Tai. We were a good team in the past. But you," she looked up, frustrated eyes meeting his deceitful pair, "You changed. Something about how you saw the world, how you saw humanity, it all changed for the worse."

He put his hand on her other shoulder, locking her into his gaze. He bent forward, so as to be able to speak directly to Kari's face. "No. For the better. I realized how _right_ he was. We fought and fought and risked our necks - TWICE some of us! - And for what?" He swept his arms out to punctuate the next statement: "For _this_? A world where we are forgotten, where our deeds went unrecognized? Do you remember how they treated us when we finally returned?"

Kari looked away, as if the pain from those memories haunted her still. In truth, even Mimi was still burdened by the fact that they were taunted and ridiculed, and laughed down by every form of government to even suggest that there was a parallel universe, that there were monsters from another planet. They fought to save two worlds, only to see their own crashing down. Mimi had to change her surname in order to survive in America; she broke off all ties from her past life, hoping that by sealing it she could forget it. _'The past has a funny way of biting you in the ass,'_ she mused in her silent hiding place.

"How could I forget? Even Mom and Dad wondered if what they had seen was real, because of all that Goddamned propaganda."

"So why not let them have a taste of it? We can do it ourselves, just you and I, with no middleman required. _He_ doesn't have to know anything."

__

'Are they talking about Takeru?... They couldn't be...'

"I can't do it, Tai. I love him."

Tai growled in frustration, waving a hand into the air. "What good is love? What good did that virtue ever do for Sora? You see how she is now."

Kari glared at her brother. "Yea, thanks to you blowing her cover."

He crossed his arms, shaking his head sadly. "No, no. She condemned herself to that fate. Had I not done it, he would have."

__

'Who are they talking about?'

Without warning, a rat scuttled somewhere in the distance, knocking one piece of metal against another. Without thinking, for fear she may be caught, Mimi fled as silently as she could from her hiding spot.

Tai looked to where the noise had originated. "Walls have ears," he whispered.

She smiled at him sardonically, "Are you ashamed of what you say?"

Takeru lay back on the lawn, staring up at the stars; it was a surprisingly clear night, and he could make out the lacy pattern of the Milky Way. He slowly let his thoughts drift to Mimi's question. _'How did I ever get that stupid nickname? Only Kari knows. It all started with her... Or did it?'_

…It was over a year ago, and Matt had finally caught up with his brother. He had abandoned Mimi, not out of want, but out of necessity. "How could you just leave her like that?" Takeru screamed. "If he ever finds her, he'll tear her to pieces!"

Matt hung his head. "I know, Takeru. You think I haven't realized that. But that's *if* he finds her. If Mimi came with me, Tai would find her, and then she'd be lost forever."

Takeru's breath softly hitched in his throat. "You... you really love her, don't you?"

His brother nodded. "More than life itself, Takeru. I'd give anything to have her in my arms right now, to know that she's safe."

A small brush of tears stung Takeru's eyes momentarily, but he forced them back. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

Matt sighed. "This whole thing that's going on... just how much do you know?"

Takeru shook his head, "Not much. I only know that Tai's trying to get at the digiworld. I don't know how. I don't know why."

"Takeru, this is bigger than you can possibly imagine. I wish I could fill you in, but for someone to know their own destiny... it's... it's just not right."

He raised his eyebrow. "What do you know about my destiny?"

"More than I'd like to know, Takeru. I wish I could turn back time and set things right when I had the chance. But I didn't know."

"Nobody's blaming you, Matt."

"I am. I should have been able to put the pieces together sooner. But I was too late, and now things have been set in motion that I can't stop. Only you can."

"But how, Matt?"

"I..." his voice cracked, as it was obviously painful to hold inside whatever he knew. "I can't tell you, Takeru. It wouldn't be right. And if I tried to change it..." his face suddenly lit up. "Maybe I can!"

"What've you got in mind, Matt?"

Matt rose his eyes to the clouds that were collecting overhead. It was beginning to storm. "It's tonight, isn't it?" he said to no body in particular. "I know it is. Well, if you want an angel, then too bad, because I'm coming instead."

"Matt, what are you talking about?"

"I've gotta go, Takeru." He turned to run off, but Takeru caught him by the forearm. Matt struggled to shrug him off, but he wouldn't let go. "Takeru, just let me go!"

"No! Not until you tell me what's going on!"

Matt managed to slip from his grasp and began running down the hill; unfortunately for him, Takeru was much faster and quickly tackled him, sending them both rolling in a frenzy of blonde hair and blinding fists to the base of the grassy knoll. When they finally reached the bottom, Takeru had the advantage and held Matt pinned to the ground.

"Please, Takeru! You don't know what you're doing!"

"Then let me know, Matt! Tell me what's going on!"

Matt fought against his brother, and through a quick move, almost unseeable, he managed to get himself out from under his brother. Takeru was about to grab him, when Matt's fist went flying through the air, nailing Takeru in the face. His brother dropped to the ground, clasping his swollen cheek and eye, a trickle of blood emerging from his nose.

"I'm so sorry, Takeru, but an angel has to fall tonight, and I won't let it be you."

His body was wracked with pain, more emotionally than physically. "Are you saying I'm an angel?"

"I've said too much. I've go to go." With that, Matt ran off into the night, leaving Takeru there, with a bloody nose and a million questions. Little did Takeru know that would be the last time he would see his brother.

"Takeru!" Mimi called. "Takeru, where are you?"

Takeru pulled himself out of his daydream, not realizing that he had tears streaming down his face. "Hi, Mimi," he said cheerfully.

Mimi eyed him oddly. "Why are you crying? What's wrong?"

Finally becoming aware of the dampness, he brushed the tears out of his eyes. "Oh, nothing. Sometimes my eyes just water. I think I'm allergic to grass."

She accepted his excuse and quickly flew into her panic: "I heard something. Something bad."

He stood up quickly, his face momentarily swept with fear. "What did you hear? What are you doing out, anyway?"

Mimi brushed off his accusation. "Thank me later. But first, I have to tell you. I think that… oh you're not going to believe this but… I think…that Kari's a traitor."

Takeru was stunned. _'Not Kari... not after everything we had been through...'_ He raised an eyebrow at Mimi. The girl had been under a lot of stress lately; maybe she was just hearing things. "What makes you say that?"

"She was talking with Tai... almost civilly."

"What about?"

"She kept talking about someone she loved... and Tai kept talking about betraying somebody. It almost sounded like they were referring to the same person... I swear, Tai's probably just some guys butt-monkey, and Kari's along with him, and they were talking about the same person, I know it..." At this point, she began feeling pretty silly.

He rested a hand on Mimi's shoulder. "You shouldn't be out. Thank you for your concern, but I highly doubt Kari would ever betray me." His eyes flickered downward momentarily. "We've been through too much." He brought his look back up to Mimi, smiling softly. "I'm sure you're just tired. Let me help you get home and get to rest."

She was about to protest, but then relented, feeling foolish for causing such a panic and bothering Takeru when something was obviously weighing rather heavily on his mind. She put her arm into his and let him lead her back to the motel.

In the shadows, a figure lurked, watching the display. "Yea," he said into his black Nokia, "he bought it. That was a close call."

"Too close," came the curt voice on the other line.

"Look, I'm sorry," he said argumentatively. "I didn't know she was listening. I thought she'd be too tired to do anything."

"Well, obviously you underestimated her. We need to eliminate that one."

"Mimi?"

"Yes, kill her the next chance you get. And *don't* foul this one up."

~ End Part 3 ~

Authors' notes:

Karei: Duuuude... I hope this came out good. I sort of wrote the middle one-day and then the beginning and end two weeks later. ^.^() Okay, but yea, so what did you think?

Princess Mimi: We should get working on the next chapter Karei…

Karei: Uh… see me in two months!

Princess Mimi: Don't mind her. We're both worn out from our other fics... Have you read our works separately? You should know that we are indeed two separate authors… ^.^() 

Karei: yea, I swear to god, we're not schizophrenic!

Both: Please r/r!


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